In a society with an unprecedented history of immigration, those who are often seen as a drain on America's resources cross borders in search of equal opportunity. Grace Chang's vital account of immigrant women - who work as nannies, domestic workers, janitors, nursing aides and homecare workers - proves the opposite: women who perform our least desirable jobs are crucial to our economy and society. Disposable Domestics highlights the unrewarded work immigrant women perform as caregivers, cleaners and servers and shows how women actively resist exploitation.

The volume presents a variety of unique perspectives on mothering as a socially constructed relationship focused on caring and nurturing. Crossing a range of ethnicities and classes, it addresses different ideas and practices of mothering, the need to expand our definitions beyond biological determinism and 'family values', and the conditions under which, and resources with which, mothering occurs. Since mothering is central to the reproduction of social relations - the main vehicle by which people form their first identities and learn their place in society - it constitutes a contested terrain. This work brings together important voices on the most examined and 'essential' aspect of female being.

Alcohol misuse is a serious, worldwide public health issue that can result in a wide range of physical, psychological, and social problems affecting the individual, the family, and the community. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases a woman's risk of having a baby with birth defects and developmental disabilities. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is recognized as the cause of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASD is a term used to define the spectrum of physical, mental, behavioral, and/ or learning disabilities that can result from prenatal alcohol exposure. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of the most severe outcomes of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and is characterized by facial malformations, growth deficits, and neurodevelopmental problems. Efforts have been underway for several decades to develop strategies to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEPs) and reduce the risk of FASDs. In 2002, the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect (NTFFASFAE), a federal advisory committee, released its first recommendations. Among these recommendations were several items focused on prevention, including recommending the reissuance of the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on drinking during pregnancy 4] and the development of a report to review the evidence for effective prevention and treatment strategies for women at risk for or engaging in prenatal alcohol use. In 2004, after deliberations on and publication of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Guidelines for Referral and Diagnosis 5], the NTFFASFAE decided to focus its attention on FASD prevention. The Task Force Prevention Working Group (PWG) was established to guide the development of a report describing evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce AEPs and outline recommendations to further promote the implementation of such strategies. To accomplish this, the staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities engaged the Community Guide Branch at CDC's National Center for Health Marketing and Research Triangle Institute International (RTI) to assist the PWG in this work. RTI conducted a systematic search of the literature to identify community-level FASD interventions and policies that can prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies and reduce the prevalence of physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities due to prenatal alcohol exposure. The review focused on community-level interventions and policies because other systematic reviews either have been completed or are currently under way to explore both clinical interventions and population-based strategies addressing alcohol misuse. For example, in 2004, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force engaged in a systematic review that resulted in clinical recommendations on screening and behavioral counseling interventions in primary care settings to reduce alcohol misuse 6]. Also, the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, coordinated by CDC, is actively engaged in systematic reviews to assess the effectiveness of population-based alcohol prevention strategies that affect people in the general population, including women of childbearing age. This report reviews the current evidence on prevention strategies to reduce AEPs, provides recommendations on promoting and improving these strategies, and offers future research directions in the field of FASD prevention. This document also serves as a guide for those in the research and practice fields interested in selecting and implementing effective, scientifically tested interventions for women at risk for an AEP. In addition, the report also highlights the importance of continued collaboration across federal, state, and local agencies; academia; medical and social service delivery systems; and families to integrate scientific findings into public health prevention strategies.

To date, most research on immigrant women and labor forces has focused on the participation of immigrant women on formal labor markets. In this study, contributors focus on informal economies such as health care, domestic work, street vending, and the garment industry, where displaced and undocumented women are more likely to work. Because such informal labor markets are unregulated, many of these workers face abusive working conditions that are not reported for fear of job loss or deportation. In examining the complex dynamics of how immigrant women navigate political and economic uncertainties, this collection highlights the important role of citizenship status in defining immigrant women's opportunities, wages, and labor conditions. Contributors are Pallavi Banerjee, Grace Chang, Margaret M. Chin, Jennifer Jihye Chun, Hector R. Cordero-Guzman, Emir Estrada, Lucy Fisher, Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, Anna Romina Guevarra, Shobha Hamal Gurung, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Maria de la Luz Ibarra, Miliann Kang, George Lipsitz, Lolita Andrada Lledo, Lorena Munoz, Bandana Purkayastha, Mary Romero, Young Shin, Michelle Tellez, and Maura Toro-Morn.

To date, most research on immigrant women and labor forces has focused on the participation of immigrant women on formal labor markets. In this study, contributors focus on informal economies such as health care, domestic work, street vending, and the garment industry, where displaced and undocumented women are more likely to work. Because such informal labor markets are unregulated, many of these workers face abusive working conditions that are not reported for fear of job loss or deportation. In examining the complex dynamics of how immigrant women navigate political and economic uncertainties, this collection highlights the important role of citizenship status in defining immigrant women's opportunities, wages, and labor conditions. Contributors are Pallavi Banerjee, Grace Chang, Margaret M. Chin, Jennifer Jihye Chun, Hector R. Cordero-Guzman, Emir Estrada, Lucy Fisher, Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, Anna Romina Guevarra, Shobha Hamal Gurung, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Maria de la Luz Ibarra, Miliann Kang, George Lipsitz, Lolita Andrada Lledo, Lorena Munoz, Bandana Purkayastha, Mary Romero, Young Shin, Michelle Tellez, and Maura Toro-Morn.